CEFI Leads Efforts in Strengthening Women's Financial Independence in Morobe Province

• CEFI participated in the Women SME Expo championing financial empowerment among women in Lae, Morobe Province
• The initiative focused on unlocking economic opportunities through targeted initiates and strategic partnerships

At Women’s Economic Empowerment Expo held June 23-25, 2025, in Lae, Morobe Province, The Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) showcased its sustained focus on enhancing women’s access to inclusive financial services.

Organized through the joint effort by SMEC and the Lae SME Incubator Hub, managed by Tok Stret Consulting Limited, the expo served as a platform to boost women’s participation in Morobe’s local economy.

The event revealed a clear demand for more focused educational outreach, CEFI is now prioritizing enhanced awareness initiatives to equip women with actionable knowledge on available business resources and compliance-related benefits. It reinforced CEFI’s role in women’s financial inclusion and sparked dialogue on closing knowledge and access gaps.

As a part of a panel discussion with industry leaders, CEFI offered its perspective on enabling women entrepreneurs through inclusive financial solutions and business development initiative. Through informal stall-to-stall interviews, CEFI engaged directly with women entrepreneurs, many operations within the informal sector with limited awareness or perceived value of existing training programs.

In its role as a silver-level sponsor, CEFI contributed alongside prominent agencies and nearly 100 SMEs, including the Credit Guarantee corporation and the Internal revenue Commission, to drive momentum at the Women SME Expo. A common concern among women entrepreneurs was that registering their business would lead to immediate tax liabilities, discouraging them from entering formal systems.